Car-underframe.



W. A. STEARNS.

CAR UNDEHFRAME.

APPLICATION FILED xuLvzs, |914.

Patentedept. 25, 1917.

L Lr 5 l 'LF l I l WALTER A. s'rnanns, or CHICAGO, FoUNnnrEs, or NEW YORK, N.

ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 AMERICAN STEEL Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

CAR-UNDERFRAME.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 25,1917.

Application filed July 25, 1914. Serial No. 852,985.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WALTER A. STEARNS, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Underframes, of which the following is a specication.

My invention relates to railway cars and has particular reference 'to a novel draft arm for use in connection therewith.

It is customary at the present time to strengthen railway cars which are provided with wooden under frames by applying metal draft sills to the wooden center sills such draft sills extending rearward to the body bolster over the same and then rearward and downward being connected tothe sills to the rear of the body bolster. Such a construction is shown in the patent to Crawford, 915,272. Usually a space is left for the accommodation of the body bolster. However, body holsters are frequently of a trussed form; that is, they consist of upper and lower members separated at the middle by a spacer or strut and to connect such bolsters to a draft arm such as described is difficult. I have conceived the idea of providing a draft arm such as shown, with an integral filler at the point of the body bolster which shall act as the strut or spacer for the bolster, this necessitating a transverse slot in thedraft arm for the accommodation of the top plate thereof. Such a construction is simple, reduces the number of parts to a minimum and is very efficient in operation.

My invention will be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a draft arm showing the body bolster in section;

Fig. 2 is a plan View of the same construction, and,

Fig. 3 is a section Fig. 1.

Referring more particularly to the drawings it will be seen that to the wooden center sills 10, is securely bolted my novel draft arm which may consist of the cheek plates 11, truss member 12, and rear portion 13. Connecting the cheek plate 11, and the rear portion 13, is a web 14, and an integral filler or spacer 15, the latter acting to spread apart the upper and lower plates 16, 17, respectively of the bolster. A transverse slot 18, is provided in the trussed portion 12, of

on the line 3-3 of @opina of this patent may be obtained for the draft arm, the top plate 16 extending through this slot as shown.

By the use of this construction the body bolster is practically Xed with relation to the draft arm and the strains in pulling and buffing are transmitted to the car frame equally 'thus reducing the breakage of the wooden sills which follows their use when not protected by a device such as described.

The device is capable of modifications and such modifications as are within the scope of my claims I consider within the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. In means for reinforcing the sills of cars, a casting adapted to lie alongside a sill and to coperate with a body bolster, consisting of a beam extending in a straight line from the end sill to a point a substantial distance to the rear of the body bolster and provided with an aperture in the casting inthe plane of one of the members of the body bolster, said casting being provided with a portion arching over the bolster above said aperture and a portion passing through the bolster below said aperture, said lastnamed portion adapted to act as a spacer for the two members of the bolster, said beam having a shelf to underlie said sill at front and rear of the bolster, substantially as described.

2. In means for reinforcing the sills of cars, a casting adapted to lie alongside of and beneath a sill and to cooperate with a body-bolster consisting of a beam extending in a straight line from the end sill to a point a. substantial distance to the rear of the body bolster and provided with an aper- 'ture in the casting in the plane of the upper member of the body bolster and with a notch in the casting in the plane of the lower member of the body bolster, thereby providing square shoulders on said casting against which both sides of both said body bolster members may abut, said casting being provided with a portion arching over the bolster above said aperture and a portion passing through the bolster below said aperture, said last-named portion adapted to occupy the entire space between the two members of the body bolster, substantially as described.

WALTER A. STEARNS.

Witnesses:

W. S. TRowBRnJGE, J. F. LYNN.

ve cents each. by addressing the "Commissioner of Batente,

washington, 1D. G. 

